Mini Tableau #5 – a voice & a smile
“Tableau vivant” (living picture) was a popular form of entertainment in the 19th century, a means to recreate paintings on stage before the dawn of motion pictures. In England it was used to provide erotic nude entertainment and bypass the censorship of the Lord Chamberlain, which forbade movement when nude or semi-nude. Tableaux vivant were a key feature in the recent film Mrs. Henderson Presents. However the emergence of television and the liberalization of censorship post-1968 led to the virtual demise of tableaux vivant.
Sarah Small, an American photographer, artist and musician, is in the process of arranging a series of mini-tableaux which will culminate in “The Delirium Constructions” with 120 models in Spring 2011. Mini-Tableau #5 took place at PowerHouse Arena during the Dumbo Arts Festival with 36 models. Sarah Small is a modern day Michael-Angelina who choreographs a wonderful visual masterpiece to the accompaniment of arias and folk singing. Watching the performance on Vimeo there were two highlights in this masterpiece – a voice and a smile.
The smile
The performance starts with the beautiful Kimberly Penharlow standing nude but for high heels and a smile as the performers commence taking their positions. However it is not the full frontal nudity of this beautiful lady that captures the attention, rather it is her smile and what a smile it is. It is a radiant, beautiful and powerful smile, a smile that could launch a thousand ships. It is a smile that makes her more powerful and dressed in her nudity than any of the clothed models.
The voice
The moment Abigail Wright starts to sing Massenet’s aria it is evident she is not an amateur. As it turns out, Ms. Wright is a mezzo-soprano with an accomplished professional career. As she sings the aria the models start to leave until the stage is bare but for Ms. Wright and the nude bassist. Ms. Wright, is the centre of attention – fully nude and exposed to the flashing cameras – but such is the power of her singing and the movement of her upper body that she never appears vulnerable even when the camera zooms in on her. As the performance will not end until the beautiful lady sings, it is Ms. Wright who is very much in control.
This tableau vivant disproves that nudity equates to vulnerability – never more so than in the scene above. Standing between the nude Ms. Wright and Ms. Penharlow is a clothed model. Despite or perhaps because of the clothes she looks weak and vulnerable in comparison to Ms. Wright and Ms. Penharlow.
Edit
I wrote the review above before discovering Abigail Wright’s blog in which she has written extensively on the performance. Her main article is titled “The Inestimable Value of Vulnerability” – it’s probably the most honest article you are likely to read about the emotions of a performer.
I quote the following from her prose:
“As I stand alone on the top step, vulnerable, unclothed […], everything stops in a moment of surreal suspension. In the span of one short second, I see a friend or two and strangers packed into the large space from each wall all the way to the door, watching, snapping photos, taking videos, and ordering wine. Considering the lyrics, I share a deeply held belief of mine with the audience of strangers and friends, that music and love do heal and console all of us. For one brief moment, I allow all of them to see all of me, as I share my voice in a way I have never done and transcend a lifetime of countless barriers in performance.”
Physical nudity is nothing compared to emotional nudity – Ms. Wright’s greatest triumph in this tableau is not performing nude in public rather the emotional advancement she has achieved.
Video on Vimeo
This is really lovely, thank you. I hope you won’t mind if I share your post with my other colleagues from the tableau.
February 10, 2011 at 7:41 pm
Pingback: Mini Tableau #5 – a voice & a smile (via in praise of nudity in performance) « Skydiving for Pearls
Such a moving piece of ART. Everybody coming together as one. Hope there are more.
February 11, 2011 at 6:34 am
Hi, I found you linked from the site of wonderful Abigail Wright. Having seen a number of videos thank you for the history lesson which has really enhanced my appreciation. How do you think these compare to the original tableau? Isn’t it so wonderful to have nudity from real people.
Do you know if the blonde model in the penultimate photo is scarred or wearing make up?
October 21, 2011 at 9:28 am
Hi Annabel, thank you for posting. Obviously I wasn’t around the time of the original tableau but I do feel one of Sarah’s greatest achievements is to take us back in time when artistic expression was natural and not technologically adapted. Sarah Small is a genius and deserves a lot more credit and attention.
What makes the tableaux series so brilliant is that they are not performers but normal people who are joining together to produce something wonderful.
October 21, 2011 at 2:17 pm
This is a wonderful ode to the selective blindness of New York post-feminist hypocrisy. You self-congratulating ladies who sing the praises of this piece will be the first to scream female exploitation if this was a Playboy production.
When so many women have unnecessary sexuality imposed by the media it is galling to see women support this type of sexualised nudity.
*edited for content
November 6, 2011 at 8:40 am
KaPo, you have clearly completely mis-understood the Tableau Vivant and my review. Much as I hate censorship, I have been compelled to edit wrong and mis-leading references made to Sarah and Abigail. I have only approved your comment to highlight how mis-guided it is.
I am male and not from New York and therefore not part of a “post-feminist hypocrisy”.
The Tableau Vivant is about non-sexualised nudity. That is the beauty of the entire performance as it features men and women of all sizes and shapes both clothed and naked in a totally non-sexualised context.
November 6, 2011 at 5:24 pm
When I watched this my first reaction was how beautiful. This performance shows there is nothing shameful or titillating with nudity. Nudity is a natural state. Bravo to all involved.
November 7, 2011 at 3:41 am
It would be wonderful if people were as quick to accept as they are to criticize. The anonymity of the internet brings out the cowards. All the performers are willing to use their name, yet those who criticise are anonymous.
KaPo, as a women I find the nudity in this piece to be wonderful, empowering and affirming. Put aside any pre-conceptions you have and look at each individual as a person. Each person is different and each body is different. Tableau Vivant accepts and highlights the physical differences in people while showcasing the underlying humanity.
Nu Tanz, I love your reviews because unlike the critics you manage to empathise with the performer as a human and not an object.
November 13, 2011 at 7:26 am
Emma, you are absolutely right. The world would be a much better place if we were accepting of those around us.
Thanks for the compliment and your feedback. A pleasure of doing the reviews is getting positive feedback like yours.
November 13, 2011 at 7:31 am
So much to love in this performance that nudity is an irrelevance. Enjoy the beautiful singing not the nudity. Admire the body confidence of Kimberly and think if you can even be 1% that confident in the nude.
November 18, 2011 at 9:29 am
You claim to be against censorship but censor a comment that takes an opposing view to you. Much as you praise the nudity in the show, I am entitled to the opinion that it is unnecessary and serves no purpose.
November 19, 2011 at 5:16 am
KaPo, you are entitled to your opinion and I am happy to let you post it. However, I am entitled to have deleted comments that were of a personal nature about Sarah Small or Abigail Wright.
You are most welcome to debate the artistic merits of nudity in the performance without making personal reference to the performers.
November 19, 2011 at 5:29 am
I am confused why you considered my comment to be of a personal nature to Abigail Wright. It is not directed at her personally other than for the reason it is she who appears in this show.. I do not see the reason for any professional opera singer to be required to perform nude.
Again the comment on Sarah Small is in her role as the director of the show much the same as one would critique the director of a film by naming them. The show is filmed with strong lighting and harsh focus on the performers bodies. Filming with soft focus and dim lighting would achieve an artistic effect.
November 19, 2011 at 5:48 am
Ashleigh and Kristen, thank you for the posts.
November 19, 2011 at 5:26 am
KaPo:
Abigail has written very movingly about her involvement in Tableau Vivant. Some of the most famous opera singers have appeared nude in the most famous opera houses in the world whilst performing Salome.
The wonderful thing about art is that we can all interpret it in the manner we like. I consider the manner Sarah filmed beautiful.
As you have posted your opinions, I would appreciate if we can leave this topic now.
November 19, 2011 at 7:58 am
Why nudity? Is this how you want your children, parents or friends to see you? Some things should be private…I’ll stick to seeing other artists perform with their clothes on.
November 21, 2011 at 3:23 pm
I guess we can translate this as “…I’m not prudish, but…” Everybody has the right to express themselves as they wish, so long as nobody is harmed, physically or mentally. Personally i think these Tableau are just beautiful.
November 22, 2011 at 3:34 am
Permit me to add my two-cents on this topic. I’ve modeled nude in the past for artists and will do so again very soon. While i don’t understand the message of the tableaux or the performance itself, never the less there are elements of beauty as well as extraordinary content to take from it. Both overlap from the physical appearance of all involved to the singing of the quartet as well as Ms Wright’s solo at the end. I found her blog through your posting and she is open and very honest about herself and experiences and is a gifted writer.
To the question of the appropriateness of this type of performance, the answer is clear: It is entirely neutral, there is no right or wrong. An extraordinary aspect of this tableaux performance is the ordinariness all of those involved, clothed & nude. States of being that all of us share and have in common.
I’m 52 years old, quite fit and no compunctions about baring it all for artists for their interpretation. However, thankfully this isn’t a prerequisite in order to pose. Any body type is accepted. The question is, can we accept ourselves?
Thank you for your time…
November 22, 2011 at 7:34 pm
What’s wrong with been seen naked by your children or friends? It’s only a body.
The participants use their names. More power to them. They must be people from all walks of life but show real people can be more beautiful.
November 23, 2011 at 8:33 am
I really like Abigail’ dress scene.
The scandal is in the eye of the beholder, in my eyes is admiration for this group of artists, Sarah Small, Abigail Whright and all women and men of the “Tableau vivant”.
Repetita juvant …
January 29, 2012 at 11:12 am
Abigail Wright and You are lost or trying to justify your involvment in the project by saying this is not about sex. Read or listen to Sarah Small. She says its all about sex. Or if you don’t understand watch the video. Naked Sarah Small and Robin Laverne Wilson cavorting with a naked Sidney Etienne…that’s all about sex! Stop misrepresenting the work to make yourselfs feel good.
March 11, 2012 at 1:31 pm
Just to clarify some things… I didn’t personally say that none of Sarah Small’s Tableaux Vivants had sensuality in them. Sarah explores everything in life in her tableaux, including sensuality, without judgment. Art is subjective and in the eye of the beholder, so you may perceive it how you like. However to say that the nudity as a whole, or my part in the any of the 3 tableaux I’ve done, was intended to represent sex or was sexual is just not true.
March 14, 2012 at 8:37 pm
Oh please…when you stand with your intimate parts exposed to the whole world it’s sexual alright. We can all see your sex! There were plenty of ways to show nudity but Sarah chose to do so in a blunt and explicit manner with the camera focusing on the intimate parts
March 15, 2012 at 5:13 pm
Also, to KaPo, please note that there were plenty of men and women in each performance that were clothed and nude. Everyone performed willingly, most with no compensation. Sarah Small is not about exploiting those with whom she connected in so many ways throughout the experience. Thanks to everyone who watched the entire video and have boldly shared your comments here and elsewhere. Art is meant to be discussed and enjoyed, after all.
March 14, 2012 at 8:43 pm
There are many performers and artists who appear clothed and nude. This is the first many have appeared without compensation. That in itself is an endorsement for Sarah.
March 15, 2012 at 6:58 am
Abby, I thank you for your courtesy in responding to my email.
Happy Easter to you, fantastic girl.
Rudy
March 23, 2012 at 1:07 am